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Weight loss

06-15-2010, 05:54 AM

Good afternoon all Primal blueprinters,

I am very new to the primal blueprint laws, however it makes so much sense so I am giving it a go. Just a couple of questions:-
1. Why am I so hungry?
2. How do you stop the sugar cravings?
3. I am starting intermittent fasting tomorrow and intend to do one day a week where I miss breakfast and lunch. The question is will this burn fat and accelerate weight loss? Will it make me more hungry?
4. Any help / diet plans for a girl who is desperate to loss a bit of weight. I have about 15kilos that I would like to shed and I am impatient about this. I want it all gone tomorrow and am struggling with the concept that it may take time.
I have a history of aneroxia, but want to put that behind me as I am getting fit and healthy to start a family.
I would be so very grateful for any info / advice. I really want this to be a lifestyle change not a fade.
Thank you for you time.
Gumdrop

I'm going to try to answer your questions to the best of my ability...but keep in mind I'm only human (and relatively new to PB myself)...

1. Why am I so hungry? Eat more fat. It will help with your satiety.

2. How do you stop the sugar cravings? Give it time... your body needs to adjust to the new 'fuel' you are providing for it.

3. I am starting intermittent fasting tomorrow and intend to do one day a week where I miss breakfast and lunch. The question is will this burn fat and accelerate weight loss? Will it make me more hungry? Yes IF will accelerate weight loss when used properly, but since you are so new to PB you will most likely have a strong 'hunger'... IF'ing will get easier with time

4. Any help / diet plans for a girl who is desperate to loss a bit of weight. Be patient... if you haven't done it yet read The Primal Blueprint and read Primal Blueprint 101... for a 'safe' goal figure about 1-2 lbs a week (assuming you stick to 'the plan'). the only way to take the fat off quickly [as quickly as we all hope we could] is with surgery...

Remember living life by the Primal Blueprint is a journey... it starts with a single step.. sometimes you may falter or stumble...but don't give you. You can reach your goals in time.

Comment

DO NOT IF until you are accustomed to PB, especially with your medical history. It could set in motion a bad chain reaction and it's generally a bad move to IF before you've adapted anyways.
1) Eat more fat.
2) see above.
4) Give yourself tie to adjust to PB, then follow the blueprint. It'll take care of itself in time.

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, steak in one hand, chocolate in the other, yelling "Holy F***, What a Ride!"
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Comment

Just remember that this in no way resembles a crash diet - it is a way of reprogramming your body to be sensitive to different kinds of nutrition (and exercise) that you are used to. It is no more a "diet" than veganism is a "diet". You will probably lose a bunch of water weight at the beginning, then move into 1 pound per week or so, with some plateaus etc. Just spend time learning about food, nutrition, read Good Calories Bad Calories and the Primal Blueprint carefully. I also liked Healthier Without Wheat and Nourishing Traditions. Don't worry about the fasting etc. or even strenuous exercise for at least a month or so. Take long walks, get lots of sleep, learn to cook nourishing PB meals, etc. - honestly three/four months goes quickly and that is a reasonable timeframe to notice seriously good long-lasting changes (certainly that's been true for me).

Comment

You have to take your time.
There are real advantages to losing weight over a period of a few years:

You can ease into your new way of eating, exercising and living. You don't have to change everything all at once. You don't have to go 100% Primal to succeed. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

You can make adjustments as you go. Subtract a food here. Add one there. See how you feel.

Having made the changes gradually, you'll find it much easier to maintain those changes. The last thing you want to do is turn an essentially pleasurable way of life into a crash diet!

Comment

If you try intermittent fasting and have a history of anorexia, always remember to overeat a little between the fasts. The goal is to create a caloric deficit on average (over several days) while keeping your metabolism active. You do that best by alternating your caloric intake. If you eat 100% of your estimated caloric intake on one day and 20% on a fasting day, you'll still effectively eat 40% less, which is more than enough for rapid fat loss. Personally I'm more in favor of two days 100% and one day 20%, which is still about 30% less.

Comment

I wouldn't start fasting until you no longer feel the hunger pangs so regularly. Have you tried taking a course of probiotic supplements to restore digestive bacteria. I took L-Acidophilus 2billion capsules when waking and before sleeping for a couple of weeks and it cut out my sugar cravings, you may have some sort of imbalance or yeast growth in your gut crying out for sugar! I took this on recommendation from a consultation with Sean Croxton from undergroundwellness, check out youtube for him.

You don't want to take probiotic yoghurts/butters as a replacement, they don't have enough bacteria and are generally CW ploys to sell a brand.

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You had an individual consultation with Sean! That's awesome. I'm in NY and he is too far and probably to expensive for me to see .

I'm wondering if I have h pylori or not because between meals my stomach kills. It's not hunger, but more of a nauseous feeling. It started when I went very low-carb on this diet. I don't remember feeling the same way when I did Atkins years ago.

Has anyone battled H Pylori or ulcers? I haven't seen a doc about this either.

Comment

i would absolutely NOT IF until you got the actual food part of it down. as a former anorexic/bulimic myself, any form of IF this early in the game could be triggering. indulge and appreciate the food first, come to realize that this way of living and eating is fueling your body to become the lean primal machine that you want to be.

hope that helps, and dont forget that we're here to help. don't think of this as a 'diet' by CW thinking, this is a lifestyle change that you want to sustain long term. slow, gradual changes will stick with you longer than immediate, drastic results.

Comment

I am probably the most aggressive faster here and big fan of the benefits, but you are getting good advice. I am conditioned to fast from diets past, but was very cautious the first two weeks then moved to a one meal a day plan for the rest of month 1. I am currently 34 hours into a fast and feeling light on my feet and loaded with energy, but do NOT do any form of fasting until you've crossed a couple obstacles and put them well behind you.

The hunger and sugar cravings are indicative of addiction. Sugars and carbs react to cannabinoid and dopamine receptors much like illegal drugs. I experienced withdrawal sensations and behaviors identical to kicking nicotine. I recommend cold turkey to get past it asap. My case was followed by low carb flu. So for the first two weeks I was basically a mess, but these boards were a great help. Keep reading and don't expect this to be a wonderful experience until you have slain some demons. That covers items 1-3 in your post.

For 4, do not seek a diet plan. Seek a lifestyle. Make this sustainable in ways that fit you. Eat as clean as you can afford, organic veggies (minimal fruit) and pastured meats. Don't sweat what you cannot do. Get the book.

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I agree with the advice to stay away from IF for now. You need to get the eating part right first. With your past eating issues, developing a healthy attitude to food should take a priority. Keep IF in your toolbox for later. Focus on health and learning to be a good role model for your future children.

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Hi Gumdrop, I can only echo what the others have said: Get the eating right first, and do IF later when your body has adjusted to burning fat for fuel.

I dropped a significant amount of weight in the first 4 months even without IFs or any sort of plan other than "Eat lots of fat, meat and veggies when hungry. Stop when full." After a while, I had pretty long stretches where I simply didn't feel very hungry, and occasionally had just one meal a day -- but it was led by hunger, not will power.

I didn't weigh myself in those first 4 months (well, I weighed before and after but not during), but I did take pictures, which was very encouraging!

This is a very flexible way of life, and it can be very exciting and fulfilling to transition -- but I'd caution you to smell the roses along the way rather than fixate on the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

The first few days (or weeks, for some people) can be pretty rough, but very, very worth it!